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. 2020 Nov;52(6):3809-3817.
doi: 10.1007/s11250-020-02419-y. Epub 2020 Oct 4.

Pathological, immunohistochemical, and molecular findings of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis due to Sarcocystis neurona infection in Brazilian horses

Luan Cleber Henker  1 , Marcele Bettim Bandinelli  2 , Caroline Pinto de Andrade  2 , Matheus Viezzer Bianchi  2 , Luciana Sonne  2 , David Driemeier  2 , João Fábio Soares  3 , Saulo Petinatti Pavarini  2
Affiliations

Pathological, immunohistochemical, and molecular findings of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis due to Sarcocystis neurona infection in Brazilian horses

Luan Cleber Henker et al. Trop Anim Health Prod. 2020 Nov.

Abstract

Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) is an important neurologic disease of horses in the American continent caused by Sarcocystis neurona and Neospora hughesi infection. This study describes the pathological, immunohistochemical, and molecular findings of fatal cases of EPM in southern Brazil. A review was performed on a total of 13 cases compatible with EPM, which were diagnosed by postmortem examination in the period of 2010-2017. Epidemiological information was obtained from necropsy reports. Gross and histological lesions were characterized, and cases were subjected to immunohistochemistry anti-Sarcocystis neurona, Toxoplasma gondii, and Neospora spp. Molecular search was performed using ITS-1 gene PCRs. Microscopic lesions were multifocal in all cases, and more frequently observed in the spinal cord segments and in the rhombencephalon. Intralesional protozoans were histologically detected in five horses, while a positive immunostaining for S. neurona was observed in eleven cases (11/13). Through molecular techniques, six positive cases for the ITS-1 gene were detected, and obtained sequences presented highest similarity with S. neurona. EPM due to S. neurona infection represents an important neurologic disease of horses in Brazil and this disease should be considered as a main differential diagnosis in horses presenting neurologic signs.

Keywords: Equine; Neurologic disease; Parasite; Sarcocystis neurona.

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